What, still no love. Is the story really that bad? Well too bad, it's going to keep updating until I finish and with five down, there's only three more to go.
Do I really need to do this? Do you honestly think that anything has actually changed since yesterday. Heck, most of this chapter is just dialogue from this scene in the game! I do own one thing though I suppose, the ability for the Knight's to use telepathy when they resonance is totally mine.
"A dancer's hunger is an amazing thing, Not only do they crave attention and the spot-light but the ability to own and control men's minds and their hearts as she dances is her one satisfying dessert." - Zabālās, one of the seven dancers belonging to the troupe Sin's Temptations, 5251 ADW (After Dogma War)
He remembered the last time they danced side-by-side…
The memories of the private meeting that had taken place night, still dwelled deep in the minds of Kara and Caesar the next day. It had been twelve hours since they had kissed and now both preferred not to even look in the other's direction, not a single word had been spoken since then and it was beginning to tick the others off as well. Although the lack of conversation between them was odd to say the least, they always seemed to be arguing about one thing or another, it was their fighting that really grated on their nerves.
Whenever confronted though, both shook it off by vehemently declaring that nothing wrong, nothing had happened last night, and certainly not any kiss. Everyone was just imagining things with being so worried about the safety of Princess Cisna. Surprisingly, everyone, even Eldore, seemed to accept that, although a few weird looks were given back to the two people in question every now and then.
Personally, Caesar didn't blame them for their worry one bit, they had a right to be concerned. Both he and Kara were too distracted and had starting taking more hits and less swings to the point where their best mage was starting to get exhausted and threatening them with no more Healing if this kept up. Even in the foggy state of his mind, he had begun to notice that Kara's fighting seemed stale, lackluster if you will. The dancing that he looked and craved for so often was gone, the skip in the step he so loved had vanished, it was like her entire being, her soul itself, had been crushed by Caesar's silent declaration last night.
Next thing they knew though, they had reached the gap that separated the majestic statue that was Thamus Rock, both stone eyes gazing into the nothingness that surrounded him. Even with his cloudy and fogged mind, he still gripped his spear tighter, not sure what was going to happen.
Advancing closer, they saw the shapes of the Magi, who were not only the captors of Leonard's beloved Cisna and the guys who wanted him and Leonard dead to steal their arks, but the ones who had twisted Kara's mind so ferociously that she was nothing more than a puppet on their manipulating strings.
Anger filling up his gut, he walked forward with Leonard to deposit their arks, his vermillion belt next to Leonards white gauntlet, and they backed off slowly, watching in amazement as the white-haired prissy really let Cisna run towards them and leap in Leonard's arm. Even though he couldn't see Yulie, Caesar could practically feel the heat from the steam that were exiting from her ears at the scene of the two in front of her.
But yet, something didn't feel right, something he didn't even need his DragonSIght to see. No one had moved and inch since releasing Cisna, why hadn't they grabbed the arks yet? It was then he had remembered what Eldore had told them so many days before. Once you have become pact-maker to a Knight, the only way for the bond to break for you to die.
"Leonard! Get away from her, it's a trap!"
Leonard looked down at the "princess" in his arms, confused at his friend's words. Caesar watched as she turned her head up to look at Leonard, a maniacal grin on her face and a deadly sharp dagger in her hand. With a shout, Leonard had pushed the doppelganger to the ground and grabbed for the sword in his sheath, the one he had carelessly put away when they had reached the agreed on meeting place.
Before he could move though, he once again found the familiar blade nestled against his neck, one he had not only once wielded himself but had begun to notice that he had found it there too many times in the past few days.
Kara, please don't do this.
"You really should have known better Caesar, you know that the only way to break the bond once its been formed is to kill the pact-maker in question."
No, no, no, no, no…
"Right, silly me."
Caesar could feel Kara smile behind him, lips turning up just slightly at the sides of her mouth, her most used sardonic smile.
"You're a sweet man, too sweet for your own good. It is time for you, and for Leonard, to die."
That may have been so and she may have believed it, but he couldn't help but notice the shaking sword in her grasp as she proclaimed his death.
"Kara! What in the world are you doing?"
What does it look like Leonard?
"You mean you're a spy? We trusted you Kara!"
No duh chickie-poo. And guess what; don't feel too bad, I trusted her too, more than you would have believed.
Kara gave a short laugh behind him. "You really are far too trusting."
The next few minutes were a blur, one minute he had been stuck at knife point and the next a blue magical light had begun to glow around the statue, middle cracking open like a stone egg and the legendary sword Talion appearing for all the world to see, distracting Kara enough for her to lower her sword just enough for him and Leonard to rush forward and grab their respective arks from the bridge where they had lain them. Soon enough, Kara had run forward and begun to speak her incanation, her ark, a sword sheathed in black with wings, and begun to pull the sword free,
"Oh Dinivas, deliverer of dark and dread, ruler of the ancient shadows, grant me your power."
Kara, please please please don't do this. I'm begging you…
"Verto!"
No!
"Kara. Wait, you mean it was her? She's the Black Knight?"
What, did you really think Leonard that all those conveniently placed disappearances when the Black Knight showed up was really just a coincidence?
"Kara… no," The last part came out as only whisper, unheard by even Leonard who had been standing right next to him.
From beyond even Kara in the Black Knight's armour the Cisna doppelganger revealed her own power, lifting up a green card and shouting out the Gigas incanation. From her forehead the card began to glow and in the place of a copycat stood the giant Gigas, Lamia Comitis.
Despite the circumstances, Caesar had to admit that that was probably the ugliest and most deformed Gigas they had ever seen. A sickly aura had begun to eminate from the magenta body and wings didn't even seem able to give the promise of flight.
"Caesar!"
He hadn't even needed the word from Leonard, he had already had his ark out at the ready, the incantation already on his lips, ready to spoken at a moment's notice.
"Yeah… I know."
"Verto!"
With a blinding flash of violet and blue light, two one hundred foot tall knight's stood in their place, weapons at the ready. He hadn't even needed to speak the words out to Leonard, he just seemed to automatically understand.
Leonard, you go after the Gigas, leave Kara to me.
Within seconds, Leonard stood against the legendary Gigas and had begun to swing madly at it. Meanwhile, Caesar had started to face off Kara in a deadly dance, the same weapons used in their sparring match so long ago. The only difference was that this wasn't simply a simple sparring practice, Kara really meant to kill him, and Caesar, well, he was determined to save her.
Before he could do that though, he had to stop her from reaching that sword.
In an effort to keep the sword from the other's hands, not that Caesar could use it, they had both lunged towards the swords barrier and stuck their fists through. It was for naught, they had been repelled back with such force that they had nearly crashed into the adjacent rock wall several hundred feet away. The only thing that had saved them from sheer pride damaging embarrassment was quick thinking and skill. Caesar had flipped next to Leonard while Kara had used her wings to steady herself before landing gracefully, like the dancer she really was.
Despite fighting as enemies, Caesar's first thought had shocked him. Kara! Is she alright? What had happened next shocked him even more.
Get out of my head!
Caesar actually took a step back, he hadn't even noticed that during their short battle and when they had both collided into the force field, the one Leonard had just now broken down, they two of them had begun to resonate. Leonard seemed unchanged though, it may have been because he was nowhere near the two winged Knight's at the time.
"Caesar, what's wrong?"
He had barely heard Leonard but was able to reply in what he hoped was a believable.
"N-n-nothing, I was just so surprised and all that you figured out the riddle when I didn't, the only one of us who actually knew the story of Thamus. Heh heh, stupid me."
Thankfully, Leonard seemed to accept this lie and lunged back into the thick of his battle with the Gigas, leaving Caesar to be alone with his thoughts and with Kara's as well.
Kara, can you actually hear me?
Shut up, shut up, shut up!
Caesar took this as an affirmative as fought with the Black Knight, pushing his spear to pierce her mid-section, which she blocked effortlessly, as he knew she would.
Kara please, I'm your friend. Why won't you let me help you.
No! You're not my friend, nobodies my friend. I don't need any friends. So why won't you just leave me alone?
He barely blocked her fierce swing to his head, most likely an attempt to make him stop taking. Well, it wasn't going to work.
I'm your friend, and simply trying to kill me isn't going to stop that. I promised that I would fight by you, not that I would fight you.
I don't need you or your stinking promises! They're just meant to be broken anyways!
You know you don't believe that, so why are you trying so hard to convince yourself of it?
Kara's only response was a couple more lethal jabs to his armour, trying so hard he noticed to strike through the heart-shaped breastplate on his chest, as if wishing that that was his real heart instead.
Why aren't you listening to me?
Because your nothing but a lazy, smart-mouthed, insufferable, and altogether arrogant man! The only thing you have going for you is that you're just the slightest bit cute!
Kara seemed to pause after her outburst, realizing that although she had completely meant to say the first part, the next one certainly wasn't supposed to come out. If he could sense the anger that transformed from the embarrassment than she could definitely see the wide grin he had been wearing for a few minutes now.
I hate you! I hate you I hate you I HATE YOU!
With each word, she thrust her sword at him, her cool demeanor vanishing as Caesar was able to deflect each strike easily.
You know you don't mean that. If you did you would have killed me after I kiss…
Don't you dare mention that moment Caesar! That was a mistake, a mistake I never should have made.
Maybe, but that still didn't stop you from kissing back.
Aaargh! What do you hope to accomplish here? I'm your enemy remember?
That may be so, but that doesn't unmake you my friend. So please Kara, stop this. Come with me, I can make you this one last promise. If you come, I promise that we can go away, get away from all of this, forget that any of this had ever happened. Please Kara, I lo..
He never got to finish the last part, a strange high-pitched scream had begun to emit form the Gigas, Leonard's new sword sticking effectively out of its chest. With one last death scream, it fell to the floor and turned to dust, blowing away in the constantly changing wind. Not long afterwards, the White Knight changed back from Wizel to Leonard, his job done, the gas from the Greaver starting to fill the small canyon.
"We seemed to have stirred up the wildlife. Time to go.
It took only a moment for Caesar to realize that the form of the Black Knight was gone and less for him to change back. By then,it was too late and Kara was already on the airship. He had one last chance to convince her not to go and he took it.
"Kara!"
To his partial amazement, she actually stopped and turned to look at him. His talk, albeit quite one-sided seemed to have done something.
'Don't do it Kara," he had begun to plead. "Stay. You can stay here, with me."
Although his words had shocked him to put it bluntly, it seemed to have the desired effect. She looked back at the entrance to the air ship and back at him, even going so far to take a step forward towards him, the desire to stay fresh in her eyes.
Instead she refused. "I can't do that. There is no place for me with you right now. We can't turn back the clock Caesar."
No… "No, you think you know the truth but you don't!"
A sad smile appeared on her face, a smile he never wanted to see again, a single tear glistening in the sun's light as it ran down her cheek.
"So long then, our journey was fun, but it's over now."
And with that, she turned her back on them, on him, and walked away. It was then that he noticed a single tear, glistening in the sun's light, run down her cheek before falling behind her.
NO! No no no no no no!
He felt a hand land on his shoulder and looked back to see Leonard gazing sadly at him.
"Caesar, I'm so sorry."
No, you're not! You couldn't possibly understand!
And with that, he watched the air ship rise majestically into the sky and fly off, taking Kara away from him. It wouldn't be till later back at the Windwalker Village, once the adrenaline from the battle on the Greaver shortly afterwards and then the surprise meeting of Setti, who had supposedly died in the fire that had destroyed his house; that the others would leave Caesar alone to sulk by himself by the fire that he realized something. When Kara had left on the air ship she had taken something very important with her, and she probably didn't even realize it.
She had danced off with his heart.
Wow, not only was this way longer than it was supposed to be but there wasn't even supposed to be any romance at all the last two chapters. Ah well, I guess it worked out better this way anyways. Once again, more dialogue but this time it's all game verse from the scene at Thamus Rock, check it, I did my research. the only bits of dialogue I can actually claim as my own is the telepathic conversation between Kara and Caesar, in which she snaps. Heh, it was fun to write.
And come on, review please? It makes me feel good inside. :)